Light Snow Sends a Number of Vehicles off Interstate

Officially we saw 2.2 inches of snow at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airports, however with the road conditions you would think otherwise.

Emergency crews pulled at least eight vehicles out of the ditch in Forest Lake at the 35W/35E split near Highway 55 just before noon Friday.

Traffic was also backed up around the metro for all the spin outs and accidents.

Officials say the one-inch snowfall creates more havoc on the roads compared to 12-inch snowfalls.

That's because people tend to stay off the roads during a major snow event, during lighter snows there are more people on the roads traveling at higher rates of speed, which can be a precarious combination.

A spokesperson for the Minnesota State Patrol also says the biggest difference is also the attitude of the drivers.

"People think a one-inch snow is no big deal. They don't plan ahead, they don't slow down and they don't increase the following distance between cars," says Lt. Eric Roeske.

Compare these two morning commutes: on Monday, Dec. 10, with nearly 12 inches of fresh snow on the roads there were 58 highway crashes from 6-10 a.m. But on Monday, Nov. 12, after less than an inch of snow, there were 56 highway crashes from 6-10 a.m.